Child's Play
by Amnesia Nymph
Summary: AU. When Minako moved to Japan to live with her father, she knew she was going to get a fresh start. Going to a school full of delinquents wasn’t exactly what she had in mind. But then again, neither was falling for the school’s ‘boss.’ HarukaMinako
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: We do not own Sailor Moon.

_**(A.N: Hey guys, it's Silver Sailor Ganymede here. This story is a co-write between myself and Amnesia Nymph. Now for the pairings: it'll eventually be HarukaMinako, MakotoMichiru, SetsunaAmi and ReiHotaru, so don't say we didn't warn you. Hope you like what we've done so far!)  
**_  
Child's Play  
By Amnesia Nymph and Silver Sailor Ganymede

Prologue

The way of a cliché is that even the most bizarre of tales often have predictable beginnings. It was not so in this case, however, as no one could have forseen the events that would occur on that still, bible-black night, nor indeed the consequences of these events, be they for good or ill.

Perhaps the best place to begin is with the person that inadvertantly caused all of this… or rather the death the sparked off the whole sordid affair, for the man himself was of little importance. Kou Seiya was, however, important enough to have been on first name terms with the boss of the local bosozoku, something that eventually lead to his downfall.

The inside of the warehouse would at first have seemed deserted, for it was so quiet in here that anyone present could have heard the waters outside lapping at the walls. It was such a calm night that no one would ever have predicted what was happening in there; I suppose that not even God himself would have guessed, if indeed such a god existed.

A sharp scream echoed out, and a man came into sight, agony lacing his every breath. His face was deathly pale, no doubt due to the blood pouring from his hands from where four of his fingers, two on each hand, had been chopped off. His clothes were torn and bloodstained, his chalk-coloured skin patterned with brusies.

A burly man forced him down onto the ground, two more punching him as he did so. In such a state he could not move. Oh what would they have thought had they seen Kou Seiya in such a way? He was not the beautiful demon he had been before, that much was sure.

"Leave him," a voice snapped two of the goons lay off, joining the many more that lay dotted around the edge of the warehous. The third however stayed, aiming another punch at Seiya's face for good measure. There was a sickening crack as his wrist broke before he could even make contact.

"You don't disobey me," the same voice from before spoke as an imperious figure stepped forward. Its face was masked, only the teal eyes shining through in the gloom. Other than that nothing could be seen, and it was impossible to tell if the figure, though obviously in charge there, was male or female. It turned to Seiya, whose hands were now bound behind him, and ran a finger along his bruised cheekbone.

"You don't disobey your masters," the voice whispered. "You just had to learn that the hard way. I would have settled with just depriving you of your fingers, but you've irked me once too much. This is the end for you; goodbye, Seiya-kun."

Such a light and taunting tone was beyond disturbing in the given situation. It only served to make Seiya feel even sicker than he already felt; he was going to die. He was going to die and all because of that bastard!

"Why are you doing this?" Seiya snarled.

"I have no use for disobediant mutts like you," came the reply, the tone tinged with dark, sadistic laughter. "Besides, this is nothing; murder is just child's play to me after all. You should really have learnt that by now, you fool."

He grabbed Seiya and threw him back into the wall with a sickening thud. The goons around the room began to snicker, but fell silent once again upon being met with a venomous look from those teal eyes.

Seiya choked, the salty taste of blood coming into his mouth and staining his lips, his skin becoming alabaster tinged with precious rubies. He was as good as dead already, he knew that much, so why should he have to die silent? The black-haired man threw back his head and screamed to high Heaven, though deepest Hell seemed where he was likely to end up.

"Damn you, Kaze. Damn you to Hell!"

The a gunshot rang out, piercing through the silence, and the man once known as Kou Seiya fell lifeless to the ground.

''Hide his body," the voice ordered. Two more men emerged from the shadows, not daring to look their commander in the eye. "And make sure no one ever knows about the wherabouts of Kou Seiya. If you mess up I'll do the same to you, understood?"

They nodded, their fear impossible to disguise, and hurried away, dragging the lead-like corpse behind them.

Outside the air was still enveloped in quiet tranquility. There were no hints as to the gruesome event that had just taken place. In fact there was nothing to suggest that anyone had ever been there at all.


	2. Chapter One

Child's Play

Chapter One

_-Kinseino Muncipal High School-_

This, Minako thought, was not what she'd had in mind. Okay, so she'd known her new school in Japan would be a bit different to her old one in England, but seriously, this was just too much.

Her first impressions of Kinseino Muncipal High School weren't exactly great. The building was about as inspiring as a prison, and the bars across the – mainly broken windows only served to reinforce that idea. The outside of the drab, grey building was only livened up by the graffiti that had been scrawled all over its walls, but that only served to make the place look even more derilict than it already was.

In fact the only way Minako could tell that this was a school at all, other than the nameplate outside it, was because of the groups of students milling around inside its gates. Not that most people would have been able to tell they were students; most of them looked like they'd stepped out of old gangstar movies and should have been hanging round on street corners smoking crack. Then again she'd already spotted five people smoking something she was sure wasn't tobacco, and one group of boys was laughing raucously and passing round a bottle of what looked like gin.

But this wasn't what annoyed Minako the most; no, what really annoyed her was that hardly anyone was wearing the school's uniform. That particular fact really did cause Minako to be somewhat infuriated, and not without reason; her father had insisted she wear the uniform even after her hours of protesting. Aquamarine and yellow just didn't do anything for her colouring, and the sailor collar was really getting on her nerves. It was even worse than her old uniform back in England. Then again at least here in Japan she didn't have to put up with her mother and her pathetic twat of a boyfriend, but that was beside the point.

By that time Minako had become so engrossed in her thoughts that she wasn't paying any attention to what was right in front of her, so it wasn't really surprising when she collided with someone, knocking them both flat to the ground.

"I'm sorry" Minako blurted out, blushing an even deeper shade of red when she realised that the person she had inavertantly run over was an extremely attractive boy. Oh that was just her luck, it really was. He stood up and she thought he was about to help her up, but instead he just walked off, his teal eyes glinting in irritation as he did so, without saying so much as a word to Minako.

Minako just watched him walk away before she heard a voice. "You should be careful who you bump into. I'm surprised she didn't insult or do something worse than that to you already." The blonde who still sat on the ground looked up at a girl who was, much to Minako's surprise, also wearing the school's uniform. The girl had aquamarine colored hair, which matched her uniform perfectly.

"She?" Minako repeated, taking the girl's hand and getting to her feet. She had no idea what this other girl was talking about.

"Tenoh Haruka," the aqua haired girl replied, picking Minako's school bag from the ground and handing it to her. "Don't be decieved by her looks; she may look like a boy but she's female."

Minako blinked a few times before she finally understood what the other meant. "Anyway, I'm Aino Minako," she said upon finding that she just couldn't say what she had wanted to. "And thanks," she added when she took her bag from the other girl.

"Michiru Kaioh," the aqua haired girl said, introducing herself. "You're new here, aren't you?"The blonde just nodded in reponse, cringing as she felt the eyes of the other students burn in her back. Why were they all staring anyway?

'_Probably because of this stupid uniform.'_ Minako thought to herself before she decided she was going to ask some more information about that Tenoh Haruka person. "Why did you say you were surprised that 'she' didn't insult me or do anything worse? Don't tell me the pupils here are exactly like that movie I've seen recently."

"Depends on the movie you saw," Michiru muttered as they both started to walk towards the school's main, and what looked like its only entrance.

"Dangerous minds," Minako whispered, blushing without even knowing why. Next to her she could hear the other girl giggle. "What's so funny?"

The aqua haired girl calmed down a bit, trying to find the perfect way to let Minako know that the pupils in that movie weren't half as bad as the pupils on this school. Well at least most of them weren't.

"Nothing. But I can tell you this: Haruka is the 'boss' around this school. Everyone listens to her and everyone fears her. You'd do well to stay out of her way."

"Why is everyone so afraid of her? What about the teachers, can't they just throw her out?"

Another giggle escaped Michiru's lips. "The teachers couldn't care less. Besides they're afraid of Haruka as well. I don't think they'd ever dare to open their mouths to speak up and punish her for…'' she paused for a moment, trying to find the right words. "For being... Oh never mind."

"Are you scared of her?" Minako asked.

Michiru didn't reply at first. Instead of that she just opened the doors to the school. Minako was surprised to see that her first impressions and thoughts about the school's inside had been completely right. The lockers matched the outside walls of the school. Graffiti completely convered them and the floor looked like it hadn't been cleaned in since the school was built, and god knew how long ago that was.

"Do you see that brunette and raven haired girl over there?" Michiru suddenly asked. She was obviously used to the inside looks of the school building. To Minako it was simply disgusting. The blonde just followed Michiru's gaze over to three people who were talking.

One of them Minako easily recognized as the person she had bumped into a few minutes ago. Haruka Tenoh. The other two she had never seen before. "Those are Haruka's closest partners in crime, friends, or whatever you'd like to call them; just don't call them goons, they're far too sharp-minded for that to fit. The brunette is called Kino Makoto, she's Haruka's right hand. The other one is Rei Hino. You should watch out for her, she likes to hit people for no reason at all. And we think she has some weird sort of speical powers too, but that's just the rumour mill gone wild. Probably."

"And Haruka, what type of person is she?" Minako questioned. She didn't know where her curiousity came from but hearing stories you'd normally only see on television somehow excited her. It was as if she had been given the lead role in a movie.

"She's quiet but when she opens her mouth she can either be a big flirt or a real bully. She always finds a way to make you feel miserable. Most people won't even talk to her, not like they'd dare anyway."

Minako nodded, suddenly getting the whole picture. _'What did I get myself into this time?'_

**To Be Continued**


	3. Chapter Two

**Child's Play  
**Chapter two  
_Bright Ideas_

If Minako's first impressions of Kinseino High were anything to go by, she really shouldn't have been surprised at that sight that met her when she walked through the doors to class 1-a. Michiru sadly wasn't in her class, but she'd warned her well enough. Well it was just her luck she'd ended up in the worst class in the goddamned school, wasn't it?

Someone had written the word 'idiot' all over the board in flaky, yellowed chalk, and the walls of the classroom were covered in even more obscene graffiti than the hallways had been. They desks mostly lay tipped over on the floor, people seeming instead to prefer sitting on the windowsills. The grime-coated windows themselves were closed, which was probably why the rank stench of cigarette smoke seemed to have permeated every inch of the place.

Minako loitered in the doorway, wondering if she should go inside yet or not. Then someone shoved her from behind and she landed on the floor, something that caused a riotous laughter to spring up among her classmates.

"Watch where the fuck you're standing," a voice yelled and Minako looked up into a pair of violet eyes. The girl standing there was dressed like a punk, a boy punk, but she still would have been quite beautiful to look at had she not been sneering so much. It was Hino Rei, and behind her stood none other than Kino Makoto and Tenoh Haruka.

Haruka laughed at Minako as she passed, and muttered something to Rei that

sounded like, "That airhead just seems to love getting in people's way."

"Is she new here?" Rei asked. "I'd swear I've never seen a girl in school with hair that blonde since Usagi left after getting knocked up."

"Of course she's new," Haruka replied. "Anyone else wouldn't be so much of an idiot as to get in our way."

Minako got unsteadily to her feet, wondering once again what sort of human zoo she'd ended up in, and watched in astonishment as Hino Rei sauntered to the back of the class and began flirting with a petite girl who reminded Minako of a china doll, an impression that was further reinforced by the fact that the girl was wearing a lolita-style dress in place of her uniform. Sitting herself at an empty desk a few spaces away from them, Minako began to listen to the conversation behind her.

"Now Rei," Haruka chastised the raven-haired punk, "Don't be so greedy and keep 'Taru-chan all to yourself."

'Taru-chan' blushed a deep shade of crimson and Rei's eyes flashed dangerously.

"You may be the boss of this school, but you can get stuffed what it comes to 'Taru-chan," Rei hissed"Lay off her, Kaze; she's my girlfriend, not another fuck-toy for you to mess around with." She wrapped her arms around Hotaru's shoulders, causing the smaller girl to blush and burry her face in Rei's side so she didn't have to look at the smirking Haruka anymore.

"Aaaw she's so cute when she's blushing," Haruka stated in a singsong voice, earning her a slap round the head from Rei.

Hotaru looked up away from Rei and frowned, "Who's the new girl? She's very pretty."

"Not as pretty as you, 'Taru," Rei stated, plating a kiss on the smaller girl's cheek.

Suddenly the doors opened and a groan echoed through the class, spreading like a Mexican wave. At first Minako didn't understand why, as the girl standing there looked normal enough. Then she noticed that she too was wearing the uniform, and had a pair of frameless glasses perched on the end of her nose and a stern expression on her face.

"Great," Rei groaned, "The brain's back."

Before Minako even had a chance to realise what was going on, the bluenette had come up to her, smiling.

"Ah, you must be Aino Minako," she said, speaking very slowly as if to a small child. "My name is Mizuno Ami, I'm the class representitive. Do you understand what I'm saying?"

"Of course I do," Minako replied, frowning, and Ami blushed.

"Oh, well I heard you'd transferred from England so I wasn't sure if you actually spoke Japanese or not," Ami explained quickly.

"England?" Makoto butted in, curiosity getting the better of her. "Aino Minako isn't a very English name."

"My mother's English, my father's Japanese," Minako explained.

"That explains why you're so fair" Hotaru noted. "It really is very unusual. Oh, I'm Tomoe Hotaru, by the way, and my friends are Hino Rei, Tenoh Haruka and Kino Makoto."

"You'd be wise to stay away from them," Ami bluntly stated. "And Kino, out, now."

"Who are you, our fucking teacher?" Makoto sneered. "Damn it, Mizuno, you seriously need to stop being so stuck up for once, or someone seriously is gonna batter you."

"She may not be the teacher, but I am," a voice snapped. Another collective groan spread like wildfire as a woman with auburn hair stepped into the room. "Kino, get to class before I give you detention. Now!"

The tall girl swore in portest as she made her way from the room, "Bitch," she stated loudly as she left, earning laughs from Rei and Haruka.

"Ah, Ami, I see you've met our new student," the woman, obviously class 1-a's teacher, trilled, going up to Minako and pulling her to the front of the class. "I'm Miss Haruna, your homeroom teacher. Now why don't you say hello to your classmates?"

Minako stood there, growing nervous as everyone shut up and began to stare at her.

"Hello everyone, my name is Aino Minako. It's a pleasure to meet you all," Minako lied through her teeth. "I've just moved to Tokyo from London, England, so I'm not very familiar with the way things are done here in Japan. I hope you'll take care of me." She bowed slightly as she finished speaking.

"She may be an airhead but she sure has nice tits," Rei snickered, earning herself an annoyed look from Hotaru.

"Well Hino, I'm sure you've got time to show Aino-san around if you've got time to be making comments like that," Miss Haruna snapped and Rei groaned, hitting her head on the desk. "Go and sit down. There's a spare seat next to Tenoh Haruka."

Minako nervously went and took her seat next to Haruka. She smiled pleasently but was met with a venomous sneer in return.

This wasn't the way she'd planned to start her first day at school, definitely not.

"Okay, class," Miss Haruna started although no one was paying attention. Well, except for of course Minako, who didn't know better, and Ami and Hotaru.

Haruka had already turned around in her seat to chat with Rei, who sat behind her.

"So you're really serious about your dearest 'Taru-chan, aren't you?"

"So?" the raven-haired girl hissed, obviously annoyed at Haruka's never-ending questions about her girlfriend. "It's none of your bussiness anyway."

Haruka shrugged; Rei was really getting on her nerves. That Hotaru girl was a nice person, she admitted that, but she also was a threat to what they were doing around the school. No one could think the great Haruka Tenoh had started to get softer. She had to remain the boss around there; she couldn't afford to lose her position to some git, could she?

"Uhm, Miss Haruna..." Minako started, drawing everyone's attention. When she had also gained the teacher's attention Minako blushed heavily. "I haven't got any books yet."

It stayed quiet for a couple of seconds before Haruka and Rei abruptly started to laugh, soon also the other pupils except for Hotaru and Ami broke down into laughter.

"You can borrow mine," Haruka said and for a moment Minako finally thought the tomboy next to her was warming up to her, but when she looked up at Haruka she knew better. "In fact, keep it." Haruka added as she threw her textbook onto Minako's desk.

"Tenoh Haruka!" Miss Haruka sneered, angry at the girl's behaviour. "First of all, this isn't maths so put those books in your bag again." She paused, sighing. She didn't know why she even took the trouble to try to teach these students something. It wasn't like they were paying attention anyway. "And get your _English_ text books. You can read the first paragraph."

Haruka muttered something inaudible before she grabbed her book again and threw it in her school bag. Then, instead of listening to what the teacher had just asked, she turned around again and continued talking to Rei.

"Tenoh Haruka!" Miss Haruna tried again before giving up. "Okay Haruka, it's your future you're wasting here, not mine." With that she took one of her own books, which lay on her desk, in her hand and gave it to Minako. "You can have this one. It used to belong to Tsukino Usagi… but well," she started, but when she saw the dangerous look Rei was giving her she decided not to continue that sentence and just turned around again.

"Ami, would you please read the first paragraph out loud?'' She asked. The bluenette just nodded.

* * *

After the fourth period all the students were busy taking their lunch breaks. At least, that was what they should have been doing. Most of them had already left campus to do things that were probably illegal anyway.

Miss Haruna stared out of the window, which was one of the few windows in the whole building that wasn't broken. "That new girl," she began. "Do you think she'll cause for a lot of problems?"

An old, grey haired man shrugged. He was a maths teacher around this school, or at least he tried to teach the pupils maths, not that many of them payed even the slightest attention. "She seems nice. But not the right type for this school. She may end up like Tsukino Usagi if she doesn't watch herself."

Another teacher, named Mrs Van der Beek, spoke up. She was one of the few teachers that was actually respected teacher in Kinseino High. Probably because she did about as much in class as her students did.

"What is she doing here anyway? Someone has to make sure she's going to fit in. We all know Tenoh Haruka and Hino Rei are capable of…" A loud knocking at the door interrupted whatever she'd been about to say.

The next thing they knew, the head of the student council stepped into the teacher's lounge. She was a tall girl, though not quite as tall as Haruka, and had dark skin, black-green hair and terrifyingly red eyes. Her name was Meioh Setsuna, and she was amazingly respected by all the students in Kinseno High, including Tenoh Haruka, though no one knew exactly why this was the case.

"How may we help you?" Miss Haruna asked the green-haired girl.

Setsuna bowed slightly to them, and then she spoke. "Actually Miss, do you remember asking me if I could think of a way to get the pupils to put more effort into their classwork, homework and schoolife in general?" The brown haired teacher simply replied by nodding.

"Well," Setsuna went on. "Ami and I have thought of a way to help you out. What about giving every freshman a mentor?"

"Ami and you?" Mrs van der Beek repeated, smirking.

The green haired girl blushed. She hadn't even realised she had let that little piece of information slip. "Well, umm, she's a smart girl, I asked for her help," Setsuna lied. "Anyway Miss, what do you think of it? Of course these mentors aren't necessarily older. In fact I think it might be useful just pairing people up within their classes in some cases, to promote integration. It might even cool down the whole 'gang' situation we have here."

Of course what Setsuna didn't mention was that she knew fullwell that all the 'gangs' were ultimately controlled by Haruka... and of course herself, but hardly anyone knew of that last fact.

Miss Haruna thought about it for a moment. It could work but on the other hand, it could fail miserably. "Fine, set it to motion." She finally said, not knowing nor understanding why she had just agreed to it.

"Great" Setsuna said, rummaging around in the pocket of her coat. Finally she found what she was looking for and held up the unimportant looking piece of paper. "I already made combinations of who should be the mentor of..."

"Let me guess," Mrs Van der Beek interrupted the green haired girl. "You're paired up with Mizuno?" Again Setsuna blushed, igorning the teacher who had just made that comment.

"You knew I'd accept, didn't you?" Miss Haruka stated, surprised. Her surprise then turned to shock when she read the piece of paper Setsuna had just handed her. "You want to pair Kaioh Michiru and Kino Makoto, Aino Minako and..."

"It's perfect," a fourth teacher who had been reading along with them said. "In fact it's beyond perfect. Payback time." Of course the last part was meant as a joke but to Miss Haruna it sounded like the perfect plan. Finally_ she_ would get what she deserved; some discipline.


	4. Chapter Three

**Child's play  
**Chapter three  
_Unexpected revelations_

Why, Haruka wondered, was she still in school? Normally she would have just walked out during lunch and not bothered coming back, but for some bizarre reason she had decided to stay. She couldn't think why though: of course it was then that an image of Aino Minako had to pop into her head, but she just brushed it off as nothing.

Well Rei was sure right about one thing; the girl had a nice figure. A _very _nice figure… All she had to do now was figure out how to get the girl into her bed. Probably a small amount of alcohol would be enough.

"Stop being a pervert," Rei slapped Haruka on the back of her head, causing the blonde to turn round in her seat again.

"What do you mean by that?" Haruka raised an eyebrow.

"I mean _stop being a pervert_," Rei repeated. "You're just radiating this aura of perverseness. Who is it this time?"

"Hotaru," Haruka smirked, earning a filthy look from Rei.

"Do you _want _to spontaneously combust?" she asked, taking a lighter from her pocket and flicking it right in front of Haruka's face. "Because I swear to god I'll burn you alive if you make a move on her."

"Holy smoke, talk about possessive," Haruka muttered. "Put that damn thing away before Haruna or Mizuno confiscates it."

Rei shrugged, "Doesn't matter, I have six."

"Yeah, at home."

"No, I have six lighters on me now," came the reply. "Dunno how many more I have at home though."

"Christ almighty, no wonder you earned the name Pyro," Haruka shook her head.

Finally the door to the clasroom opened, revealing Miss Haruna, who was smiling as brightly as if she had just won the lottery. Haruka could already hear a few students behind her stating the obvious: Haruna had come up with something to irritate the hell out of them.

"I wonder what's up this time. Maybe she found a replacement so she doesn't have to teach us anymore," Rei whispered and Haruka shook her head.

"Not even that could make that woman happy; no she's obviously found a way to completely ruin our day."

Minako, who had been quiet the whole time, just listened to what Haruka was saying next to her raised an eyebrow. Why did they except the worst out of Miss Haruna? To Minako the brown haired teacher actually seemed nice; in fact, Miss Haruna seemed to be the only teacher who gave a damn about them.

"I've got an announcement to make," the teacher stated when she had made her way to the front of the class. She was now looking down at all the pupils, who were staring back at her with questioning yet curious looks on their faces. _'Finally got their attention," _she told herself, mentally smirking as she did so.

"Just get to the point," Rei hissed, getting annoyed because Haruna seemed to enjoy her little moment of attention a bit too much.

Haruna faked a cough, swallowing away the words she wanted to spit back at the raven-haired girl. Luckily for her she knew better. "From tomorrow on you will all be paired up in groups: the freshman get a mentor. This person doesn't have to be older, just someone from your class. I already made a list."

Haruka and Rei both slammed their heads on their desk at the same time. Everyone was now looking at the two girls with amused looks on their faces. Oh yes, this surely wasn't something Haruka and her friends were used to.

The raven-haired girl was the first to sit up straight again: suddenly she remembered her little deal with Setsuna. With that thought on her mind she winked at her girlfriend who blushed.

"Ok, I have a list here…" Miss Haruna held up the piece of paper Setsuna had given her earlier. "Shall I put it on the board or would you like me to read it out loud?"

"Put it on the damn board..." Haruka started; she really didn't want to hear any bad news right now. Before she could say anything else Haruna had already cut her off.

"Ah what a stupid question," she took a deep breath, looking as if she had just made the biggest mistake in the history of stupid mistakes. "I'm pretty sure half of you don't even know how to read!"

Minako giggled when she saw the expression on Haruka's face. If this had been a game of chess, Haruna would have been the obvious winner. She stopped giggling when she noticed Haruka's teal eyes on her. The blonde tomboy seemed somewhere between irritated and amused.

She could already tell that Minako was scared of her by the look on the other's face. Haruka couldn't help but stare at the girl next to her. _'I wonder if she's still a virgin.'_

"Okay, here's the list..." Miss Haruna started again.

Minako closed her eyes for a moment, praying she wouldn't be paired together with Rei or Haruka. _'Anyone but them, please.'

* * *

_"This is utter bullshit. I've only had one mentor in my life and look where he ended up!" Haruka roared, slamming her fist into the fence that surrounded the edge of the school's roof.

"Mentor?" Hotaru asked, confused. "When did you have a mentor, Tenoh-san?"

"When she first joined the boryoukudan. His name was Kou Seiya. Absolute dickweed," Makoto replied before Haruka could say anything. "Then again I had Chiba Mamoru and he was even worse! You may not have liked me much at first, but believe me you're lucky you had me as a mentor, Pyro."

"Good point, Raidon," Rei muttered. "We really didn't get on at first, did we?"

"Oi, you two, back to the point! I only mentor people when it has something to do with the clan," Haruka replied. "This is just bollucks, I don't have time for it at all! Especially not if I have to mentor an airhead like her. How did you two end up so lucky?" she glared and Rei and Hotaru.

"Because we know whose behind this," Rei winked.

Haruka stood in sience for a moment and then the penny dropped. "_Shinigami_! I'm going to fucking _kill_ her!"

"Calm down Kaze, I think it's a great idea.'' Makoto admitted. It wasn't like she enjoyed the idea of being Michiru's mentor, but it surely had potential.

"Yeah," Rei butted in. "Besides it'll give you the oppertunity to get that new girl in your bed."

Haruka raised an eyebrow. "What makes you think that's my goal?''

Both Makoto and Rei blinked before breaking down into fits of laughter.

"Good one, Kaze!" the brunette said when she had calmed down a bit. "We all know that your brain is focused either on bussiness or on sex. And for some reason I think it's the second one right now."

Haruka shrugged. ''Ok, ok maybe it has been on my mind but only once. I've got better things to do than worry about a klutz like her. I swear, she's going to be the next Ami."

"Why'd you say that?" Hotaru asked. "I like Ami."

"She's a nerd, always wearing her school uniform flawlessly and she's _always _acting like the school's headmaster. She's just a _little girl_ for fuck's sake, she's not Mao Tse Tung or whomever she thinks she is. Maybe we should consider on bullying her out of this school," Haruka stated, thinking seriously about that for a moment, but then again maybe that wasn't a very good idea…

"And face Shi-sama's revenge?" Rei quickly shook her head. "You can do that Tenoh but don't take me with you when she comes to kill you."

Haruka rolled her eyes, amazed by the fact her friends were so scared of the older girl: sure she was scary, but still.

"Seriously though, Kaze," Makoto muttered. "There's a reason Meioh Setsuna's earned the titled Shinigami-sama, and it's not just because her red eyes make her look like a demon."

"A demon?" there was laughter behind the girls, all of whom went white as soon as none other than Setsuna appeared. "I suppose that fits, but the shinigami were gods of death, not demons. Even you should know that."

She sat down next to Hotaru, who was curled up by the wall away from the other three, all of whom looked annoyed at recent develpoments, then looked up at Haruka with a curious shine in her sanguine eyes.

"But Kaze, mentoring this girl will be good for you," Setsuna whispered. "After all, you need someone and something as a coverup for… things that have happened recently. I'm sure you know that."

Haruka nodded, "Of couse I know that; I'm not stupid, Shinigami."

"Then you know it's not long before the satsu get you," Setsuna stated. "You should never have got involved with that moron in the first place."

* * *

Minako sat at the dinning table in silence. She knew that her parents were staring at her, waiting for her to tell them about her first day at school. What could she say? She couldn't possibly tell them she hated this school already. They weren't a poor family, why did she have to go to school in some 'ghetto' neighbourhood?

"Well," her father said at last. He didn't even try to make his words sound like a question; it was as if he was just expecting an answer like he always got.

"It was fine," Minako had decided it was a better idea to lie than to tell the truth. Her father had been rather excited about her moving to Japan to live with him. Besides, if she were to mention anything about the school she would end up getting the 'you shouldn't have failed for your entrance exam then for the school your mother I wanted you to go to' speech. Of course her 'mother' was actually her stepmother, but still she was a damn sight nicer than her actual mother had been. Somehow her parents always found a way to blame their daughter.

"Made any new friends?" her 'mother' questioned. As far as Minako was concerned, her stepmother may as well have been her real mother. They even _looked _alike, right down to the blonde hair. In fact she looked more like her stepmother than her real mother, which gave Minako caused to wonder about a few things…

"A few," Minako replied. It wasn't exactly _lying_, although she wasn't sure she could count Michiru in as a friend yet. She'd surely made a few enemies though.

Her father, who had just taken a bite from his dinner, swallowed it quickly before commenting that Minako was being more quiet than usual.

"You didn't get into a trouble, did you?" he asked. For a moment Minako thought her father was aware of the reputation of her school but when she gazed up she knew she was wrong. Her silence had made him worry that she had gotten into some kind of trouble with the other kids, not make him realise how horrible the school itself was.

"No. Why don't you tell me about your work?" Minako said, changing the subject. Her father didn't seem to notice; he was happy enough as it was that his daughter finally showed interest in his job.

''Well currently we're looking for Kou Seiya, he's a dangerous man Tokyo's underworld. According to some of our sources he's practially the underboss of this entire area. The thing is, he seems to be missing," he paused for a moment. "My men and I are currently trying to figure out who this mysterious 'Kaze' is. He seems to be a big name around here, and we've had numerous hints that he's linked to Kou Seiya's disappearence."

"Yakuza?" Minako asked. She didn't need to say anything else; her question was clear enough.

"I shouldn't tell you that. It could get you into some _real _trouble were you to find out," her father said, looking over at his wife who had just continued to eat her dinner. She hated her husband's job; in her opinion it was too dangerous. And who could blame her? His job was extremely dangerous; he was risking his life every day.

"I live in Tokyo too: I have the right to know whats going on," Minako stated, staring at her soup as if it was the most interesting thing in the world. She could've sworn she had heard that name before: Kou Seiya. She just couldn't figure out where: probably around her school. It wouldn't be a surprise if a few of the pupils knew that Seiya person in real life. They all seemed like criminals. "So, are you chasing a Yakuza boss now?"

Her father shrugged, not sure if he should be telling his daughter this at all. "Yes; I assume Kaze has something to do with Yakuza and this mess. But you can't tell anyone; if the wrong person finds out your father is the cop chasing one of the biggest and most feared people in Tokyo you could endanger yourself."

Minako simply nodded before she finally started to eat her now cold soup. She wished this day would never end. Tomorrow she had to go back to that place they called a school. But that wasn't the thing that bothered her the most; it was Haruka, who scared the hell out of her. The blonde tomboy had been staring at her with such an intense glare earlier this afternoon. Plus, the stories based around Tenoh Haruka weren't exactly were positive either…

Maybe Ten'oh Haruka was really Kaze, Minako mused then laughed it off as soon as she'd thought of it. No, Haruka couldn't be Kaze; what a riddiculous idea.


	5. Chapter Four

**Child's play**

Chapter four

- Hangover-

Haruka leaned against the fence that surrounded the roof, and stared out at the people below her swarming into the school grounds. The early morning winds were chill against her face, and would normally have had the effect of waking her up nicely, but all they did that morning was serve to make her hangover even worse.

"Raidon, why the hell did you have to drag me up here?" Haruka hissed. "I could still be in bed right now!"

The auburn-haired girl smirked in reply, "Come now, Kaze-kun, you really think I'd let you skip today and leave Pyro and I to fend for ourselves?"

"What are you on about now?" Haruka groaned, and Rei rolled her eyes in exasperation.

"Remember the mentor thing?" she asked.

"Well it's alright for you," Makoto stated. "You're with your girlfriend. I mean look at me; I've got Kaioh Michiru. _Kaioh Michru. _Thuh, I'll be damned if she listens to a word I say!"

"No one listens to you anyway," Rei mumbled and Makoto shot her a filthy look.

"Very funny," she spat back. "Anyways Kaze, it's your own fault for drinking so much last night. You'd be fine if you hadn't."

"Fuck you," Haruka snarled, causing her friends to start laughing. "It's not even funny! How much did I _drink _last night?"

"Enough to have given you liver damage if you were actually human," Rei smirked and Haruka glowered at her.

"I still don't see why you two find this so funny."

"Well it's you," Rei stated. "I mean who'd think the great Kaze would be done in by a few bottles of vodka."

"Screw you!"

"I already have a girlfriend, in case you've forgotten," Rei replied, grinning evilly. "Just concentrate your efforts on seducing that pretty blonde instead."

"Pyro, Raidon, you keep this up and your both for it," Haruka growled. "You know that killing you both would be nothing more than child's play to me."

Upon hearing the venomous tone in their boss' words, both girls paled a few shades.

"What, you mean like you did to…" Makoto began, but she was cut short when Mizuno Ami appeared on the roof.

"What are you three doing up here? The bell's about to ring, get to class now!" she commanded.

"Who died and made her queen?" Makoto grumbled, but still the three girls did as they were told; they all felt too drained already to even attempt to do otherwise.

* * *

It was only her second day there and Minako had already made up her mind that she hated Kinseino High. To say anything else would have been a complete lie; she hated everyting about it. Well okay, not everything; Michiru and that Hotaru kid had seemed nice enough, but everyone and everything else… It just wasn't worth thinking about.

Minako closed her eyes upon entering the classroom, as though if she couldn't see it then it meant that it wasn't there, and promptly managed to ram straight into someone, landing them both in a somewhat compromising position.

Minako went scarlott upon realising exactly whom she was lying on top of. Haruka Tenoh was underneath her, a somewhat lecherous smirk on her face. Minako did notice that she looked a little green at the gills, but she couldn't figure out why.

Haruka raised an eyebrow and wrapped her arms around the blonde's waist.

"You really do have nice nits," she whispered, causing Minako to go a deeper shade of red than anyone would have thought possible. She then got to her feet, picking the smaller girl up with her.

Meanwhile Rei was guffawing behind them, "Nice one, Kaze; that's definitely one way to get rid of a hangover."

"Shut it you," Haruka snapped, flipping Rei off and causing the punk to let out a string of profanities aimed roughly in her direction.

"Tenoh Haruka, Aino Minako, Hino Rei!" a voice suddenly yelled, causing the three girls to look up. Miss Haruna stood in the doorway, staring at her pupils with an annoyed look on her face. "You can kill eachother in your spare time. Now it's time for class, understood?"

"As if we're learning anything around here," Rei muttered before walking over to her seat next to Hotaru.

"Save it for someone who cares," Miss Haruna spat, showing everyone she wasn't in the best mood ever today. The brown haired teacher walked over to her desk and threw her books down on them. "Ok people since I don't feel like doing much today, why don't we start our mentor project? Everyone go sit down next to your partner and, I don't know, get to know eachother or something.''

Minako blushed heavily when she saw how a smirk had appeared on Haruka's lips upon hearing the 'getting to know each other' part.

At first none of the pupils moved and just kept seated but when they saw the angered and dangerous look on their teacher's face they decided to obey anyways.

"Holy fuck, what's up with Haruna?'' Rei wondered out loud, staring at Haruka as if she was expecting an answer.

"She probably got dumped again," Haruka commented. "I don't even care. My head hurts too much to think clearly. I mean if you're so concerned about it, why don't you ask her?"

The raven-haired girl just muttered something inaudible before turning her back to face her girlfriend. "Well 'Taru-chan, let's 'get to know each other.'" The last part was of course accompanied by a wink, which made Hotaru blush.

Haruka rolled her eyes, ignoring the scene behind her. "Uhm, Haruka..." Minako stated, completely forgetting about any honourifics she should have added. Haruka didn't even seem to mind though, either that or she hadn't noticed.

"What is it?" Haruka hissed, putting her head in her hands as she sighed. Minako was kind of surprised by the tomboy's behaviour from time to time. Sometimes Haruka acted kind of nice but at other times she could be a complete bitch.

"Are you a schizo?" Minako asked instead of saying what she really wanted to say. When she realised what she had just done she closed her eyes, fearing an outburst from the other. Much to her surprise nothing came.

First she opened one eye, followed by the other. Haruka was staring back at Minako with what seemed to be an amused smile on her lips.

"Why?" Haruka asked, her amusement suddenly turned into something Minako couldn't quite describe. "You like weirdos? If you do, I can be your schizo for the night."

"N-no," Minako stammered. She couldn't believe Haruka had just said that. Up until then the blonde tomboy hadn't said anything to her yet which couldn't be connected to sex. "I mean, shouldn't we start this mentor thing?"

Haruka raised an eyebrow, "Why?"

"Because that was our assignment," came the reply.

"It was?" Haruka teased. She loved getting on people's nerves and from the looks of it she was really pissing off Minako already.

"Yes, now why don't we just start," Minako said. She didn't want to lose her temper around the other. She had to watch her steps, especially after what her father had told her last night; what would happen if Haruka really was the same 'Kaze' her father was chasing after?

"Fine then, seeing as you're insiting so much. I'm Tenoh Haruka. I currently have a headache and am in dire need of some sort of painkillers. Oh and if you're ever interested I can give you my address and I could introduce you to my bed. Your turn."

"Aino Minako: just moved here from England. And nope, sorry, not interested," came the embarrassed reply. She didn't know why she even tried to stay friendly with Haruka when all the other did was be rude.

Haruka just sat there, staring at the girl next to her. It was the first time someone had talked to her like that. _'Pretty impressive for a new one, maybe she's not that bad.' _Haruka had to admit that she was kind of annoyed by the fact Minako wasn't as scared of her as she should be but then again, this had its ups as well.

"Well being the mentor that I am, any subject you are having trouble with?" Haruka went on although she wasn't really interested in knowing. She had simply decided to play along for a while since Haruna's dark moods could even freak her out. That woman should be in a mental hospital, not teaching in a school.

"Maths and Biology," came the reply.

Haruka smirked. This was too good to just let it pass. "Well Aino-san, if you're interested I can help you with biology. At least I can teach you everything about the female body..."

"Tenoh Haruka!" Miss Haruna hissed, looming over them at precisely the wrong time and pointing at the door. "Out!"

"Well whatever for, Sakurada-chan?" Haruka smirked.

"Call me by my first name like that again and I swear I'll expel you. Now get out. NOW!"

* * *

When first period was over Minako and all the other students rushed out of the classroom in fear of another outburst from their teacher. Minako went wide eyed upon seeing Haruka sitting on the ground, leaning against the lockers as she held her head in her hands.

"Haruka-san are you ok?" Minako quickly rushed over to the blonde, assuming the other got hurt or something like that. She was relieved when Haruka looked up, though the girl really did look ill.

"Do I l_ook_ ok to you? Shall I pour three bottles of vodka down your throat and then ask you if you're ok too? Reality check here, love. But don't worry, I won't ply you with too much alcohol; god knows what I'd do to you if you were drunk." Minako blushed at the last comment, looking away from the other girl. Well at least a hangover explained the other's behaviour this morning.

"Why would you drink that much on a school day?" Minako crouched down on her knees next to the blonde with an amused smile on her lips. The other girl just gave her a look that probably would have killed anyone else ten times over. "Umm, Haruka-san…" Minako hastily changed the subject.

"Yeah, I'm listening," came the bored reply.

"Well I heard Rei-san call you 'Kaze' earlier" Minako said, "Why was that?"

Haruka shrugged, "It's just a nickname, that's all."

"It was either 'Kaze' or 'Alcoholic," a third voice suddenly said causing Minako to look up at the raven-haired girl. "We chose the first option."

"Go screw yourself, Pyro," Haruka snarled, getting unsteadily to her feet.

"Why would I do that when I have 'Taru-chan?" Rei smirked, wrapping her arm around the smaller girl's waist and kissing her.

"Get a room for god's sake."

"We're _in _a room."

"Since when has a corridor been a room, smartass?" Haruka yawned. "Ah-HAH! Raidon! Get your butt over here before I have to kill Pyro."

Makoto started laughing as soon as she came over to them, "Man that class was a nightmare. And what are the lovebirds doing this time?"

"Practically making out in front of me, which is _not _what I want when I haven't been getting any for ages," Haruka sighed melodramatically.

"Oh but Kaze-kun, you know I love you," Makoto put on a high-pitched girly voice.

"I love you to, Raidon-chan," Haruka responded in the same tone, grabbing Makoto and spinning her round so her back was pressed against the wall.

"Oh for the love of…" Rei shook her head. "You two really need to get laid. I'm sure Minako'd be happy to help you out, Kaze. Wouldn't you babe?"

Minako's face began to look somewhat like a tomato once again, but Hotaru butted in and saved her, "Oh leave her alone, Rei. Mina-chan, you just ignore them, okay? They're always like this, you get used to it after a while."

"You can't say you don't like it though," Rei replied, slinging her arm around Hotaru's shoulders again. "Come on. Roof. Now."

"Good idea, I don't think I could take being here any longer; it's too much like a prison," Makoto mumbled.

"Do you even know what a prison really looks like?" Minako found herself asking.

"Of course I do," Makoto shot her the sort of look that made Minako feel extremely stupid indeed. "Dude, we're part of the local underground, what did you expect?"

Almost without realising it, Minako had followed the others up onto the roof and sat down with them.

"Why are you hanging round with us?" Haruka asked and Minako shrugged in reply.

"Well I don't really have anyone to talk to," Minako began, blushing and not looking at the other girl. "And you're supposed to be my mentor, aren't you?" Minako asked sweetly. "I mean I know she never said who was mentoring who, but it just wouldn't seem right if I were trying to mentor you. I mean I know nothing about this place for starters…"

"You sure don't," Rei noted, "For one thing you need a nickname if you're gonna be part of our group. I'm Pyro, Makoto's Raidon, Hotaru's Tenshi and Haruka's Kaze, as you already know."

"Oh I have the perfect name for her," Haruka smiled. "Isn't that right, Ai-chan?"

"Ai-chan?" Minako asked, a blush creeping into her cheeks.

"That's right," Haruka replied. "And don't worry, it's fine if you stick with us. Don't want any dickwads giving my Ai-chan trouble now, do I?"

"_Your _Ai-chan?" Makoto gave Haruka a questioning look.

"But of course," Haruka replied, pulling Minako into her lap. "You're going to fit right in here, kid, you really are."


	6. Chapter Five

Chapter five

Minako had never thought that it was possible for someone's opinions to change almost entireley in the space of less than a day, but she guessed she was wrong; first impressions didn't really mean much at all. If someone had told her earlier that day that she would have been walking home with the 'boss' of the school and her cronies, well she would have told them they were completely mental, but there she was, with Tenoh Haruka of all people standing next to her, talking as though they'd known eachother for years.

"That test was a load of bull," Rei griped, referring to a surprise test that had been pulled on them in Literature class after lunch. "The one day we stay in school for Lit' and he pulls a fucking pop-quiz. I mean who the Hell actually has time to read stuff like that, let alone analyse it?"

"I did" Hotaru mumbled, "It was a very sweet book."

"If you like mushy romantic crap," Haruka yawned. "Do you like stuff like that, Ai-chan?"

"That book had too many big words; it spoiled it a little for me," Minako replied.

Makoto laughed, "Lucky I'm not in your class."

"Don't rub it in," Rei growled. "Oh shit…" she froze suddenly like a rabbit in the headlights.

"What is it?" Hotaru asked.

"Satsu at twelve-o-clock," Makoto muttered. "Gods, why are they always patrolling round her like someone's gonna get sh…" She stopped dead as the car pulled over to the sidewalk and the windows wound down. Haruka, Makoto and Minako all tensed up, but Minako blinked in shock.

"Papa? What are you doing here? I thought you were at work!" she said, running over to the man that was looking out of the window at them.

"Nope, just finished my shift," he replied. "Want a ride back, Minako?"

She shook her head, "It's fine, papa, I'll walk with my friends instead."

"All right then sweety: well if you're going to be walking, would you mind stopping off and buying some things for dinner?" her father said, looking over at the group of people behind his daughter. They really didn't look like the type that Minako used to hang around with, but then again she probably changed a little while she was living with her mother, he supposed.

"See you later then," Minako stated before running back to Haruka and her friends.

"Did you see that Kaze?" Rei questioned the taller blonde next to her, blinking in shock. "Minako's old man is a..."

"Shh." Makoto hissed when Minako had caught up with them again.

"Sorry about that," Minako apologized ignoring the strange looks her friends were giving her. "So, shall we get going?" The others just nodded as they started to move again.

"So, your father is a..." Haruka paused for a moment, looking down at Minako. "A cop," it sounded like a stupid question evem to her own ears. Of course he was a cop; the evidence spoke for itself.

Minako giggled, "No ofcourse not. He's just driving that car for fun. That uniform was probably stolen as well."

Haruka rolled her eyes, noticing the sarcastic tone in the smaller girl's voice. "Ok, ok, stupid question."

After that everyone stayed quiet. Even Rei who always had something to say kept her mouth shut. After all, what was there left to say?

"Well this is where I leave you guys," Minako stopped at the corner, breaking through the silence. "My house is this way, I guess I'll see you tomorrow."

She walked off, shouts of 'goodbye, Ai-chan' behind her as she went. It was strange being on her own now after having company all day – a bit like it used to be with all her friends back in London… only her friends back then had been a bit… different to the people she seemed to be with now.

"Minako!" a voice called and she stopped in her tracks, only to find Kaioh Michiru standing behind her.

"Michiru," Minako smiled, glad to have some company. "Do you walk this way as well?"

"Yes," Michiru replied, "My house is right down here."

"Cool," Minako shrugged, not really knowing what else to say.

"So, was your second day better than your first?" Michiru asked.

"A lot," Minako replied. "What did you think of the mentoring idea?"

"I think it's awful," Michiru bluntly stated. "I mean I've ended up with Kino Makoto as a partner, so…"

"I like Makoto; she's funny," Minako interrupted her.

"Is that why you're hanging round with Tenoh Haruka, because of the mentor thing? Even if it is you should really stay away," Michiru said, a look of distaste on her face. "You do know the sort of reputation her family has? It's bad even for around here…"

Minako blinked a few times in confusion. "Well I know Haruka isn't exactly known for her angelic behaviour but I am sure it can't be that bad."

"No, it's even worse" Michiru stated. "You shouldn't hang around her and that clique of hers. Not only are they dangerous but you could get in serious trouble for being around them."

"Hotaru is around them and she seems to…" Minako couldn't even continue.

"That's a different story," Michiru snapped, surprising Minako with her venemous tone. "But you should seriously stop hanging around with them. I know they might look and act cool and all that but..."

"It's getting pretty late, Michiru, and I have chores to do," Minako whispered, interrupting the other. She really didn't want to hear about this right now. Certainly not now when she had started to actually like Haruka, Rei and the others.

"Sure," the aqua haired girl sighed, noticing how Minako tried to avoid the subject. "We'll continue this conversation tomorrow." The blonde just nodded as she started to quicken up her pace until Michiru was a few metres behind her.

* * *

"I'm home!" Minako yelled after she closed the front door. Much to her surprise she got no reply at all. "Hello? Guys I'm back! I've got the stuff you wanted from the shops! Hello? Anyone here?" 

It was then that she heard a crash from somewhere above her. Shocked, Minako ran upstairs to see what it was; maybe they were being robbed, it wouldn't have surprised her given the area they were near.

The sight that met her from the half-open door of her parent's room was _not _one that she'd have wanted to see. Her stepmother was leaning agaist the doorway, a look of complete shock on her face. Her father, on the other hand, was lying in bed. Beside him was a woman that Minako definitely didn't recognize.

"You bastard," Minako spat as the reality of the situation set in. "You complete bastard! You're doing exactly the same thing now as you did then! No wonder my mother divorced you."

Her father seemed to have a hard time figuring out what was happening as well. First his eyes fell on his daughter, then on his wife and eventually he gazed back at the brunette next to him. He really didn't know what to say for himself. Minako's words had certainly hit a sensitive spot, making him realise the situation he had put himself in. Again.

"You complete bastard," Minako repeated as she started to step away from the bedroom. She couldn't stay there any longer; she had to get out of there. She needed fresh air. She shook her head in confusion. She didn't know what she wanted right now but being there certainly wasn't it.

"Minako, wait!'' Minako's father stated when he noticed his daughter's intentions to walk away. Slowly he started to get out of his bed, ignoring the girl next to him.

It was already too late anyway. When he looked up again both Minako as his wife were gone.

Tears were streaming down Minako's cheeks as she was running into an unknown direction. She had no idea where she was going but she didn't care. She didn't care as long as it was far away from her father and all the problems.

How could he do that? Hadn't he learnt his lesson after her mother had left him? Minako shook her head. She didn't even want to know anymore. She shouldn't get this upset over it. It was his life after all. He ruined it himself. Why did she have to live with the guilt?

Guilt? Minako was too busy trying to explain herself why she had discribed her feelings as guilt instead of 'pain,' 'disappointment' or any other word for that matter. She didn't even notice she was about to run into someone until it was too late. Before she even knew what was happening she suddenly bumped into someone.

Before she could even fall backwards the person she had just run into caught her hand, saving her from a nasty fall. When Minako opened her eyes again she realised the position she and her rescuer were in. She was now holding the person in front of her as close as possible, afraid to let go.

"Are you ok, Ai-chan?" A voice asked causing Minako to realise whom her rescuer exactly was. It was confirmed when she slowly looked up at Haruka. "Have you been crying?"

Minako blushed, slowly pulling away from the tomboy as she wiped away her tears. "No," she lied although the answer was clear.

"Liar" Haruka stated, rolling her eyes. Minako just kept quiet after hearing that. She surely wasn't going to tell Haruka what had happened. After all to Haruka cheating must be the most normal thing in the world. At least, that's what Minako thought.

Haruka smiled briefly before resting her hand on the smaller girl's shoulder. "Just tell me why you were crying. If someone hurt you..." she paused. "Well, tell me who they are, what they look like and I'll make sure they'll regret the day they were bo..."

"No one hurt me," Minako interrupted the taller woman, still looking down at the ground beneath her feet. She had to change the subject before she would actually burst out into tears again. She couldn't afford for anyone to see her show any sign of weakness.

"Then what?" Haruka started to get impatient. She wasn't used to this. Whenever she would ask someone something she would get an answer. Minako had to understand that too or things could get out of hand. Then again…

Haruka studied the smaller girl in front of her. Minako was so cute and seemed so fragile. How could she ever get angry with her?

"Where are Rei and Makoto?" Minako finally asked, hoping Haruka would drop the questions.

"You mean Pyro and Raidon?" Haruka asked, shrugging. "Beats me, Rei is probably humping Hotaru and Makoto could be getting ready for her street race."

"Isn't that illegal, street racing and stuff?" Minako wondered out loud.

Haruka nodded."Very. What, are you going to tell your old man about it?"

Minako shivered. Why did Haruka have to mention her father? "I won't tell him anything. For all I care you put a bullet through his leg."

"You want me to kill him for ya?" Haruka asked, raising an eyebrow. Minako wanted to laugh upon hearing that weird question but when she noticed the serious look on the tomboy's face she realised Haruka was serious.

"Of course not!'' she yelped. "My father might be an asshole from time to time but he's also caring when he wants to be."

"When you change your mind about that, let me know." Haruka replied with a wink, enjoying the look on the other's face. Minako seemed to actually believe Haruka was willing to kill the man. She would never do that; she had people to do such things for her.

"God is a man for sure!" suddenly a third voice hissed causing both blondes to turn around in shock. In front of them stood Rei, wearing a white blouse with a black skirt underneath it.

"What the fuck are you wearing?" Haruka yelped, stepping back. "Who are you and what the hell did you do to Pyro!"

"Ha-ha, very funny Kaze," Rei hissed, "That ass who calls himself my father has set up some bussiness meeting with a client from the police station. They need more money to investigate the mysterious disappearances."

"Like Kou Seiya?" Haruka asked, clenching her fists.

The raven-haired girl nodded. "Yeah well, my father being the super nice person he is decided to invest a lot of money in the capture of 'Kaze.' And guess what, he needs me to come along!"

Minako giggled. The clothes Rei were wearing really didn't match her hair, nor character. "You could always scare your father's client away."

"Says the daughter of a cop," Rei hissed, obviously annoyed with everyone and everything around her.

"Watch it Pyro," Haruka warned her friend.

"Whatever, I'll leave the two of you alone now. I am obviously interrupting your happy conversation with my problems. Just get a room already and start the fu..."

"Finish that sentence and I'll make you disappear like Kou Seiya. No one will ever find your body."

"But you don't even know where Seiy..." Rei decided to keep her mouth shut upon seeing the warning look in her boss's eyes. "Whatever," she repeated before she started to walk away from the two blondes, muttering something inaudible.


	7. Chapter Six

Chapter six

"You want me to _what_?" Michiru frowned, looking up at her friend in disbelief. She and Setsuna were sitting in her room, Setsuna lounging back as casually as if it were her own home. This was probably because Michiru had known Setsuna since before she could remember. Yes she had known Setsuna for years but she had never thought her friend would ask her that sort of question, never in a million years.

Setsuna laughed, "Don't act so shocked, Michiru. It's not like I asked you to marry me or something."

Michiru glared at her, "Don't _say _that, Sets; you know I don't…"

"You don't like it because it reminds you of Hotaru," Setsuna sighed. "Well for once it wasn't Rei who seduced her."

"Which is exactly why it hurt so much, in case you've forgotten," Michiru mumbled.

Setsuna sighed, "Look, Michi, are you going to come with me or not?"

"To a street race?" Michiru asked again. "You want me to come with you to a street race."

"That's what I said," Setsuna replied. "We've got a couple of hours before it starts, but we'll still have to get ready by then."  
Michiru frowned, "Well it would be interesting… but isn't it illegal?"

Setsuna smirked, "But of course? Where's the fun in something if you're actually allowed to do it?"

Michiru shook her head incredulously, "Who are you and where's Sets gone?"

Setsuna laughed, "Come on Michi, I'd never take you somewhere that I thought you wouldn't find at all interesting, would I?"

"You never fail to shock me, even now," Michiru sighed, wondering how on earth her friend managed to do things like this yet still pass off as an honour student.

Setsuna smiled, "That's my job… now are you coming along with me or not?"

* * *

Never would Michiru have expected an event like that to be so popular, but then again there was a flourishing love of all things illegal in those parts. There had to be if someone as supposedly straight-laced as Setsuna had been dragged heardfirst into it, and now even she was being tempted by rebellion and all the foolishness that went with it.

"Stay close to me; it can be dangerous round here, even when the satsu aren't anywhere near," Setsuna muttered, placing a hand on the smaller girl's shoulder.

Before Michiru had a chance to reply, someone she had never thought she would see talking to Setsuna interrupted her.

"Shinigami! You're late; they've already finished taking the bets for tonight!" The person in question was none other than Tenoh Haruka.

"Satsu? Shinigami?" Michiru fronwed.

"Never heard slang?" Haruka yawned. "The satsu are the twats that like spoiling all our fun – in other words the police. And Shinigami… well let's just say she's basically in charge here."

Michiru looked up at Setsuna in shock, "What? You're _involved _with all of this?"

"Like I said, Shinigami-sama runs the place," Haruka yawned. "I might be in charge of the morons in the gangs, but Shi-sama has the real power; that's what you get for being the heir to one of the most powerful branches of the Yakuza."

"Thank you for telling her that, Kaze," Setsuna hissed. "I really appreciate it. People don't have to know! Even Ami…"

"You mean you haven't told her?" Haruka frowned. "Can't say I'm surprised. Still I dunno why you stick with her in the first place; she's a pain in the neck, in a bad way."

Setsuna sent her a more demonic glare than Michiru would have thought possible, but Haruka just shrugged in reply.

"I'm immune to that look, Shinigami, remember? I was the one that taught it to you," she said smugly.

"Why not move onto another topic before I have to kill you?" Setsuna said, the sweet tone of her voice made even more chiling by the look that still lingered in her vermillion eyes. "Why aren't you racing tonight, Kaze? You usually do."

"Couldn't be bothered," Haruka yawned. "Besides, there's this twat that Raidon wants to beat; why not let her have her fun?"

"Raidon?" Michiru questioned before realising whom the blonde tomboy was talking about. "Oh, you mean Makoto?"

"No, I'm talking about my grandfather." Haruka rolled her eyes. "Anyway, good luck you two. Makoto's race starts in about two minutes. I can drive you to the finish. You can see Raidon win from there."

"You're really confident in her," Setsuna commented as the other nodded.

"Ofcourse, she's one of my 'crew'. If she fails I'll kill her," Haruka replied. Although both girls knew it was meant as a joke they knew Haruka would probably be extremely angry if the brunette did lose. After all, they had a reputation to keep up.

* * *

A few minutes later, after Setsuna had declined Haruka's offer, Michiru had already lost sight of her friend. Setsuna was nowhere to be found. It seemed like she had just vanished into thin air. The aqua haired girl sighed. It didn't matter anyway. After finding out Setsuna also had her part in this whole yakuza, illegal racing and gang thing it was better to be alone. She needed some time to reflect on things.

Who'd ever believe her anyway if she told them Setsuna had even more power than the almighty Tenoh Haruka?

Without realising it Michiru had walked into a dark alley, not really paying attention to where she was going. She had been too caught up in her own thoughts.

"Hello princess," an unknown voice suddenly said, causing Michiru to jump and turn around.

Michiru swore that she was never going to go out this late again upon seeing two men standing in front of her. Why had she even decided to come? I mean sure, of course she had been interested when Makoto started on about the bosozoku, but this was illegal. Everything about this place was seeped in crime though, like it had saturated the very being of the people that lived here.

She shuddered, wondering why she had been a fool enough even to go anywhere near Tokyo's underworld, but stepped backwards. She suddenly had the distinct feeling that she was in serious danger if she didn't get away from this place soon, so she picked up her pace a little, but she didn't get far before a hand grabbed her on the shoulder.

"Well, well, what's a cute little girl like you doing round these parts?" She found herself face to face with the two men, thugs of the first rank by the look of them, both of whom had breath that reeked of alcohol and god only knew what else.

The man slowly moved his hands down, resting his hand on Michiru's behind.

"Stop it," he heard the girl beneath him plead. As if he was going to listen! He just ignored her and pressed his lips against Michiru's.

Just when Michiru was about to give up all her hopes on getting out of this place she noticed another person standing behind her attackers. She couldn't clearly see who it was; she only saw a vague shadow.

"Let her go,"a familiar voice snapped and Makoto appeared out of the shadows, an annoyed glint in her emerald eyes.

"Aaw come on boss," one of them whined, tightening his grip around Michiru's waist. "We just wanna have some fun with her."

Makoto's eyes flashed dangerously, "I should have known. You do realise she's mine, right?" At this they paled with terror and Michiru found herself being flung into Makoto's arms. "Are you alright, Umiko-chan?"

Michiru decided that the best thing to do in this situation would be to play along with whatever Makoto had come up with.

"Yeah… I'm fine… at least I am now there you're here."

She looked up in time to see the two goons that had grabbed her scamper off at an impossibly venomous look from Makoto, their muffled calls of 'sorry, Raidon-sama' echoing behind her as they walked off.

As soon as they were out of hearing of anyone else, Makoto turned to Michiru and spoke.

"You seriously need to be more careful if you're gonna be wandering round here at this time," Makoto stated. "Unless you _want_ to get yourself raped, which I'm pretty sure you _don't_. You do realise that's probably what would have happened if I hadn't stepped in, don't you?"

Michiru looked away, not wanting to admit that she indeed knew what could've happened.

"Setsuna told me she dragged you here to see me. When I didn't see you I decided to look for you," Makoto admitted, calming down a bit.

"I'm glad you did," Michiru replied. Then, surprising herself almost as much as Makoto, she suddenly threw herself in the brunette's arms and started to cry. She hadn't even realized herself how much this little incident had scared her.

At first Makoto had no idea how to react but then she put her arms around the crying girl, pulling her closer.

"Stop crying; it doesn't suit you. Besides, it's all over now. They're gone and won't harm you again."

"C-can you take me home?'' Michiru sobbed. She really hated to look weak but at this moment she simply didn't want to be alone. What would've happened if those guys had actually... She quickly shook her head; she had to get rid of that aweful thought.

"Sure," Makoto replied, pushing the smaller girl away a bit. A smile had appeared on her face before she slowly wiped away Michiru's tears. "Really, you're too pretty to be crying."

The aqua haired girl blushed. She didn't know why though. Come to think of it, she didn't even know why she had asked Makoto to bring her home. She could've looked for Setsuna and begged her to take her home. Then again, she'd rather not tell anyone about what just happened.

As if reading her thoughts, Makoto placed a hand on Michiru's shoulder.

"Don't worry. I won't tell anyone."

"Thanks," the other replied, this time with a slight yet honest smile on her face.

"Well let's get you home then," Makoto said, placing her arm around Michiru's waist and causing the smaller girl to jump.

"Wh… why are you…" Michiru tried to ask but Makoto just laughed.

"Like I told that lot, you're with me now," Makoto winked, causing Michiru to blush a little. "And besides, this way no bastard would dare try and jump you."

"Thanks I guess" Michiru replied, uncosciously leaning on Makoto slightly as they continued walking.

"Erm, Mich, which way is your house?" Makoto suddenly asked, an 'I'm a complete idot, aren't I?' look appearing on her face. "I just realised that I don't actually know where I'm supposed to be going."

Michiru giggled quietly: it was actually quite surprising how relaxed she felt around Makoto.

"Well my house is actually in completely the opposite direction," Michiru stated.

"My flat's just a few minutes walk this way," Makoto replied. "That's why I was walking there automatically. You can come back to my place if you want; I'll make you some tea, it might do you good after what happened earlier."

Michiru started laughing; supposed street-punk Kino 'Raidon' Makoto was taking her back to her flat to make sure she didn't get too upset, and now she was offering her tea? Street-punk indeed… more like a mother hen. Not like that was a bad thing though, not at all.

"What's so funny?" Makoto cocked an eyebrow, completely oblivious. To her it just seemed that Michiru had been seriously disturbed by what those guys had almost done.

Michiru shook her head, "It's nothing, really." Then a thought hit her. "Makoto, shouldn't you be racing right now?"

Makoto shrugged, "The bastard won't be showing any time soon. Apparently one of his rivals tried to flatline him but it didn't work. So he ends up in hospital and I have to give up my chance of racing him." Michiru noticed that Makoto didn't really seem concerned about the man being in hospital: just about the fact she wouldn't be racing him any time soon.

"So Kaze won't be mad at you for doing this?"

"For what, taking you home?" Makoto asked. "Sure she won't; she's been trying to hook me up with a cute girl for ages, but none of the others have been quite cute enough yet."

It took a moment for this statement to sink in, but when it did Michiru went bright red.

"What do you mean 'none of the others'?" Michiru asked.

"I mean exactly that," Makoto replied, and it was only then that Michiru noticed that there was a slight pink-tint to the girl's cheeks. "No one else was pretty enough, or nice enough… but you are. There's something strange about you, Michi, and I just can't shake it off."

"Something strange?" Michiru raised an eyebrow.

"Okay, maybe 'strange' isn't the right word… more like… I dunno, 'unique' or something," Makoto shrugged. "God why can't I be better at talking to people in situations like this?" she muttered to herself. "Thing is… I like you Michiru… I mean I like you in _that _way… and I know you're probably going to find it weird because we've hardly spoken before these past few weeks and I'm a girl and stuff… but I just… well what I mean is… Oh for god's sake!" Makoto looked like she was going to punch something in frustration. She then said somethig inaudible.

"What was that?" Michiru asked.

"Well it's good you haven't run off yet," Makoto laughed. "I thought the fact I'm female would have scared you off by now."

"I probably would have run off by now if you were a guy," Michiru replied quietly, half-hoping that Makoto wouldn't hear her. "Now what was it you wanted to ask me?"

"Well I know this is gonna seem kind of sudden and all… but will you go out with me?"

This was definitely not what Michiru had been expecting. Sure Makoto wasn't really that close to her at the moment, but that could always change. But she wasn't over Hotaru yet either, not that Makoto ever needed to know anything about that…

'_Hotaru's definitely over you though. Not that she was ever _really _interested in the first place_,' the evil little voice at the back of Michiru's mind said. And that was how Michiru made her descision, stupid as it was.

"Y… yes," she stuttured out eventually, another blush spreading itself all over her cheeks. "Of course I will."

Makoto smiled and planted a gentle kiss on Michiru's cheek. Then she stopped suddenly, causing Michiru to give her a confused look.

"Why are we stopping?" Michiru asked.

"We're here," Makoto replied, pointing up at the brand new block of flats right in front of them. "My place is on the fifth floor. I'll show you up there now."

Michiru followed Makoto through a spotless foyer and into a lift. She didn't think she'd ever seen a more immaculately kept block of flats.

"Not what you were expecting, huh?" Makoto laughed. "Just wait till you see my flat. You'll probably pass out with shock."  
The lift stopped and they walked along a plain white hallway that reminded Michiru more of a hotel than anything else. Makoto unlocked a door and showed Michiru inside.

If she had been surprised at how nice the apartment block was it was nothing to how she felt upon entering Makoto's place. It was completely spotless, even tidier that Michiru's study, which she hadn't thought was possible. What little furnature there was, was all of extremely good quality, and there was flowers everywhere. Flowers, cookery books and rose-coloured walls and carpet: this was certainly not what she would have expected from a street-racer. It was too… effeminate, nothing like the Makoto she had seen on the streets. She realised that this was a side of the supposed-tomboy's personality that few people would ever see.

"Did your parents choose all this?" she asked.

Makoto laughed, "Some of the old furnature belonged to them, yes, but this is my place. I live alone."

"You don't live with your mother and father either?" Michiru asked.

"No, they're dead." Makoto's comment was so off-handed that she sounded as normal as if she'd just told Michiru they were living two doors down from her.

"I'm sorry…" Michiru began but Makoto cut her off.

"Don't worry about it. They died in a plane crash when I was ten years old. I've been on my own since then. But what about you, you just said 'you don't live with your mother and father either' so I'm guessing that you live alone too."

Michiru nodded, "My parents are divorced. My father lives in America and my mother ran off a few months after he left. So I'm on my own too."

"I guess it's nice to have company sometimes," Makoto smiled at the aqua-haired girl. "It's weird how we have more in common than I would have thought."

Michiru nodded, looking up at Makoto.

"Now how about that tea, eh?" Makoto asked, walking off to the kitched and leaving Michiru perched on the edge of the rose-coloured sofa, not really wanting to remember all that had happened on that extremely unusual night.

* * *

Minako hadn't slept at all that night. All she could think about was the blonde tomboy, Tenoh Haruka. It was strange; Haruka had completely changed her attitude towards Minako in those past few days.

'_Maybe I should go out and look for her. I need some answers.'_

She was of course refering to her father's investigation. What if Haruka really was the 'Kaze' everyone was talking about. She had heard Makoto call Haruka that once. Slowly Minako crawled out of her bed. She was still tired but she knew for a fact she wouldn't be able to get any sleep, and besides it was already mid-morning.

She quickly got up and went to look through her closet. After a few minutes of looking at her closet with an intense look in her eyes Minako picked out a orange skirt and a white tank top. It didn't matter what she was going to wear anyway. It was cold outside and she was probably going to wear a coat.

It was then that Minako realised that her father probably wasn't going to let her out of the house after everything that had happened the night before when Hino Rei and her father were there, but honestly she didn't care what he had to say. She'd lost all interest in what her father had to say after she'd found him in bed with another woman. And then he had the audacity to act like _that_! Maybe she really _should _just tell Haruka to shoot that bastard…

She didn't want to hear his side of the story. She didn't want him to be her father at all. She didn't have a choice though; where else could she go, back to England? The idea had struck her for a couple of times but the idea of saying goodbye to Haruka simply wasn't an option.

'_Why do I even bother?' _she asked herself. Could it be she just wanted to look good for Haruka? That was a silly thought. Why would she? Even though she liked the blonde tomboy very much she knew that Haruka was way out of her league.

A few minutes later Minako was finally done and opened the bedroom window, trying to make as little sound as possible. The only way out of the house without getting caught was through she window. She had never tried it before but...you know what they say there's a day for

'_No that's wrong, there's a first day for... no first day...first time... That's it! There's a first time for everything!' _she mused. She never had been good with sayings like those anyway.

* * *

Michiru sat in the front seat of Makoto's car, deliberately looking out of the window away from the other girl. She could hardly believe what had happened last night… in fact she barely even rembered it. All she remembered was pressing her lips to the other girl's again before she had meant to go to bed… the next morning she had woken up next to the other girl, and she didn't need Makoto to tell her what they'd been doing.

She ran her fingers over the bite-mark on the side of her neck, wondering how much make-up it would take to cover it. Things had just gone so quickly… she couldn't have anyone finding out about this, no one at all. Involving friends in your relationships just wans't worth it.

"Umm Michi, we're here," Makoto said at last, causing the other girl to jump when she realised that they were indeed outside her house.

"Thanks for taking me home" Michiru whispered, looking down at the ground as she got out of Makoto's car. "Well, I guess I should get going now," she added.

The brunette looked at her and smiled.

"You're welcome." She didn't know why but somehow she felt sad about something. It was as if the idea of saying goodbye to Michiru now, after everything that happened, was enough to break the heart she'd sealed away for years.

"Thanks again," Michiru said, finally looking up at the taller woman. "For everything: I really do owe you, don't I?"

"I think we're even," Makoto winked, "But another kiss would do."

Michiru blushed. She knew that this was stupid all thngs considered, but the thought of just kissing Makoto made her blush deep red. She planted a light kiss on Makoto's cheek and began to walk towards her house.

"Bye, Mako."

The brunette nodded, feeling a bit sad all of a sudden. What was wrong with her?

"Michiru, wait up!" she yelled after the other girl, who had just reached for the keys in her purse.

The aqua-haired girl turned around, giving the other a questioning look. Then, without any further warning Makoto caught up with Michiru, pulled the smaller girl in her arms and pressed their lips together.

Michiru couldn't really say that she was surprised, but kissing Makoto in public like this… it was just strange, something she would never have imagined herself to be doing. She knew that the school's rumour-mill would be going into overdrive as soon as people found out about this, but honestly she didn't care. She leant closer to Makoto and lost herself in the kiss.

* * *

Minako continued to walk down the streets near her house, daydreaming as she did so. She wondered where Haruka might be – to be honest she didn't really know. Oh well, she knew where to find Rei, and Rei was bound to know where Haruka was. There really wasn't anything to worry about.

As Minako wandered down the street where she knew Michiru's house was, something caught her eye and she stopped, shocked. Michiru was standing on the doorstep of her house, making out with someone. Minako would never have guessed that Michiru was open to public displays of affection, but what surprised her even more was the person Michiru was with – Kino Makoto. She smiled slightly and wondered how long this had been going on for. Surely it wasn't long…

She started off walking again, not worrying about whether Michiru had seen her or not. She was too deeply involved in kissing Makoto to have noticed anything around her. Minako smiled – yes, she would ask Haruka about this, maybe Rei too. It was always nice to catch up on the recent gossip after all.


End file.
